The Road

Wow, what a read. I devoured this book in just three days and it was a hell of an experience. This book has been on my To Read list for such a long time and I am so glad that I finally go around to it, and it that it lived up to the high expectations I had.

The story is based on a man and his son, alone in the post apocalyptic landscape of somewhere in America. No places are ever named and their whereabouts is not mentioned, ultimately it’s not very relevant. All we know is that the two of them are trying to move south to warmer climes, and that life on the road is dangerous and difficult.

Told from the fathers perspective, The Road is both tender and brutal at the some time. The love of the father for his son and the sacrifices his is willing to make are at odds with the brutality of the world they must survive in. They meet people and situations along the way, some of which are truly shocking, but no less believable for it.

The world McCarthy crafts is so beautifully stark and deadly that is made me feel cold just to read the descriptions of the protagonists suffering. The writing style is slight unusually, especially around dialog, but it soon becomes easy to read and understand.

If you like your stories bleak and your characters rich and deep then you will love this book. Highly recommended.